GM Adds CarPlay, Android Auto Window to Two Truck Models in Latest Reversal

The company first said in 2023 that it would drop CarPlay from all future EVs, offering a series of explanations for the move. Many customers objected, and a significant number said they would not buy another GM vehicle while the policy remained in place. The first exception emerged recently in one of GM’s most expensive luxury EVs. GM did not explain why that vehicle received CarPlay, according to the report.

TNW now reports that GM is creating a truck-specific infotainment interface that includes support for CarPlay and Android Auto. The compromise is that the phone systems do not control the entire display. GM is rebuilding the interface in its trucks and giving CarPlay and Android Auto a window of their own beside its native apps, the report said. The layout is split by default, so more than one app can be visible at once. GM has again not explained the exception, saying only that it wanted to prevent customers from having to navigate through too many steps.

The report also points to growing government concern about relying on touchscreens for important vehicle controls, including the horn, wipers and hazard lights. Both the European Union and China now require a number of controls to be physical, in order to reduce the time drivers spend looking inside the vehicle rather than at the road, according to the report.